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AppX Deployment Service EUVDEUVD-2026-99124

| CVE-2026-69969 MEDIUM
Improper Link Resolution Before File Access (CWE-59)
2026-10-13 secure@microsoft.com GHSA-phjf-5r86-v3c2
4.7
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: microsoft
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Authenticate as local low-privileged user
  2. Delivery
    Plant malicious symlink/junction in AppX path
  3. Exploit
    Win filesystem race against deployment service
  4. Execution
    Service follows link to protected file
  5. Impact
    Disclose sensitive file contents

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Symlink resolution safety
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires an already-authenticated local user (PR:L, AV:L) on an affected Windows build and the ability to influence a filesystem path processed by the AppX Deployment Service so a symbolic link or junction can be followed to a file outside the attacker's privilege boundary. The high attack complexity (AC:H) indicates a non-trivial limiting factor - typically a race condition or specific pre-existing path/state the attacker must arrange and win - rather than reliable one-shot exploitation. Exploitation is bounded to local, authenticated contexts: there is no network vector, no privilege-escalation or integrity/availability impact (I:N/A:N), and impact is confined to disclosure of file contents (C:H). No user interaction from a victim is required (UI:N).

Impact

This is a genuinely low-priority vulnerability despite its CRITICAL-looking confidentiality impact (C:H). All signals align consistently toward low real-world risk: the CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.7 (Medium), the vector is local-only (AV:L) with high attack complexity (AC:H) and requires an authenticated local user (PR:L). CISA's SSVC decision framework reinforces this - Exploitation: none, Automatable: no, Technical Impact: partial - meaning no observed exploitation and the flaw cannot be reliably automated at scale. There is no CISA KEV listing and no public exploit identified at time of analysis, so this is not confirmed as actively exploited. No EPSS score was provided in the input, so probabilistic exploitation likelihood cannot be quantified here. The AC:H link-following (CWE-59) nature means an attacker must typically win a filesystem race or satisfy specific timing/path conditions to redirect the AppX Deployment Service into disclosing data it should not. In short, the only high metric is confidentiality impact; every exploitability signal (local vector, high complexity, required privileges, no automation, no known exploitation) points to a hard-to-weaponize, low-urgency issue best handled via routine Patch Tuesday cycles rather than emergency remediation.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A logged-in local user with standard privileges plants a malicious symbolic link or junction in a path consumed by the Windows AppX Deployment Service, then wins a timing/race window so the service follows the link and reads a file the attacker could not otherwise access, disclosing its contents. Because the attack requires local access, specific link placement, and winning a race (AC:H), reliable exploitation is difficult. No public exploit code was identified in the provided data.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026

Local information disclosure in the Windows AppX Deployment Service permits an authenticated local attacker to read file contents outside their own privilege boundary by inducing the service to follow a crafted symbolic link or directory junction. Affected platforms are Windows 10 21H2/22H2, Windows 11 23H2 through 26H2, Windows Server 2022, and Windows Server 2025 (including Server Core) at builds below the fixed levels published in the Microsoft update guide. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis and the CISA SSVC assessment records exploitation as none and automation as not automatable, so this is a low-priority issue whose CRITICAL-looking confidentiality rating (C:H) is heavily offset by the local, authenticated, high-complexity exploitation prerequisites.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: patches are available from Microsoft and the primary fix is to apply the current cumulative update for your Windows release so that the system reaches or exceeds the fixed build levels listed in the advisory - 10.0.19044.7807 for Windows 10 21H2/22H2, 10.0.22631.7652 for Windows 11 23H2, 10.0.26100.9711 for Windows 11 24H2, 10.0.26200.9711 for Windows 11 25H2, 10.0.26300.9711 for Windows 11 26H2, 10.0.28000.3231 for Windows 11 26H1, 10.0.20348.5761 for Windows Server 2022, and 10.0.26100.33650 for Windows Server 2025 and Server Core; consult https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69969 for the exact KB numbers. Because exploitation requires an attacker to already hold local code execution and to plant or redirect a reparse point into a path the service processes, the most effective compensating controls are to tighten write permissions (NTFS ACLs) on AppX staging, deployment, and package-cache directories so unprivileged users cannot create symbolic links or junctions there, and to audit those directories for unexpected reparse points - the trade-off is that over-restrictive ACLs can break MSIX/AppX install, update, and repair operations for standard users. Enabling Windows Defender Application Control or AppLocker to block unapproved binaries, and reducing the population of accounts with interactive local logon on servers, both shrink the attack surface at the cost of some operational flexibility; there is no configuration switch that disables AppXSvc without breaking Store app servicing, so patching should be treated as the only complete fix.

Affected VersionsENISA

Windows Server 2025 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33650
Windows 11 Version 24H2 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.9711
Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation) 10.0.26100.0 <10.0.26100.33650
Windows Server 2022 10.0.20348.0 <10.0.20348.5761
Windows 11 Version 25H2 10.0.26200.0 <10.0.26200.9711
Windows 11 Version 26H2 10.0.26300.0 <10.0.26300.9711
Windows 11 version 26H1 10.0.28000.0 <10.0.28000.3231
Windows 10 Version 22H2 10.0.19045.0 <10.0.19044.7807
Windows 11 Version 23H2 10.0.22631.0 <10.0.22631.7652
Windows 10 Version 21H2 10.0.19044.0 <10.0.19044.7807

Affected Packages

euvd windows_10_version_21h2 fix: 10.0.19044.7807
euvd windows_10_version_22h2 fix: 10.0.19044.7807
euvd windows_11_version_23h2 fix: 10.0.22631.7652
euvd windows_11_version_24h2 fix: 10.0.26100.9711
euvd windows_11_version_25h2 fix: 10.0.26200.9711
euvd windows_11_version_26h1 fix: 10.0.28000.3231
euvd windows_11_version_26h2 fix: 10.0.26300.9711
euvd windows_server_2022 fix: 10.0.20348.5761
euvd windows_server_2025 fix: 10.0.26100.33650
euvd windows_server_2025_server_core_installation fix: 10.0.26100.33650

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 10 packages in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The AppX Deployment Service (AppXSvc) is a privileged Windows component responsible for staging, installing, and servicing AppX/MSIX packaged applications. The flaw is CWE-59, improper link resolution before file access ('link following'): the service resolves a filesystem path and opens the target file without first validating that intermediate components are not reparse points (symbolic links, junctions, or mount points). An attacker who can influence a path handled by the service can substitute a link pointing at a file they cannot read directly, and the service - running with higher privileges - performs the read on their behalf, returning or exposing the contents. The CVSS vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N confirms the boundary conditions precisely: the attack is local-only, requires the attacker to already hold a valid low-privileged login (PR:L), needs no victim interaction (UI:N), and produces only confidentiality loss (C:H) with no integrity or availability impact and no scope change. The AC:H rating reflects a non-trivial limiting factor - most likely a race condition or a specific pre-existing path/state that must be arranged and won - meaning this is not a reliable one-shot exploit. The EUVD record (EUVD-2026-99124) enumerates the affected Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2022, and Windows Server 2025 build ranges, and the vendor advisory is the Microsoft Security Response Center update guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69969.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (microsoft) PRIMARY 4.7 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
vuln.today AI 4.7 MEDIUM

Local authenticated user (AV:L/PR:L); link-following race demands specific timing/path conditions so AC:H; information disclosure only, hence C:H with I:N/A:N and unchanged scope.

3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).

CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 13, 2026 - 20:20 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 13, 2026 - 19:19 cve.org
MEDIUM 4.7

DescriptionCVE.org

Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Windows AppX Deployment Service allows an authorized attacker to disclose information locally.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 75% exploitable
Prevalence
Ubiquitous
Core Windows client/server component present in virtually all Windows deployments
Vendor Status
Publicly Disclosed:No
Exploited:No
Latest Software Release:Exploitation Unlikely
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

24
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +24
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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